A caravan park where a family of four narrowly escaped being poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes has become a mini ghost town.

Vivian McMillan, 21, escaped with her daughters Chloe, three, seven-month-old Bethany, and partner James Shingleston, 38, after a faulty gas fire began leaking deadly carbon monoxide into their mobile home at Bewicke Main caravan site in Birtley, Gateshead.

The family was taken to hospital after suffering the effects of inhaling the poisonous fumes.

A team of health and safety experts launched an inquiry after uncovering a catalogue of health and safety breaches.

Now dozens of families on the site have moved out after declaring it unsafe.

Today officials from the Health and Safety Executive in Newcastle said they were considering prosecuting owner Sydney Harker after formally interviewing him over allegations he failed to make proper checks on gas appliances in caravans at Bewicke Main.

An HSE spokesman said: "We have interviewed Mr Harker about the incident involving Mrs McMillan and her family and are now evaluating the case.

"Our officers have been back to the site to make sure changes had been made. We found that most of the 80 caravans that were occupied last month are now empty."

Just a handful of the 100 caravans at the site are still occupied. The HSE said most of those who had remained already owned the caravans while the majority who had moved out had been council tenants.

The Chronicle told how safety inspectors found Mrs McMillan's gas fire should have been condemned and that none of the other caravans at the site had safety certificates.

The family was taken by ambulance to Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth hospital for tests after the fire began leaking deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

Mrs McMillan said: "We could have died in that caravan. It was a death trap and we felt very lucky that we have escaped with our lives.

"We were all feeling really ill but we just couldn't understand why. One day I went into the living room there was smoke and soot pouring out of the fire."

Site owner Sydney Harker was issued with an unlimited prohibition order banning him from letting the caravans while the gas supply was deemed unsafe.

When approached by the Chronicle, Mr Harker said he could not explain why the caravans did not have safety certificates.

He said: "We have never had a problem here in the time that I have owned it."